Brightcloud's Mercy
by Echoes in the Storm
Summary: A one-shot for the AdderClan challenge: Soft Hearted. Please read, review, and enjoy!


Brightcloud lunged at the mouse, finishing it off with a clean killing bite. She glanced at the sun. She had to go back to camp. Picking up her catch, she padded back, uncovering her other prey along the way.

"Help!" A call came from outside the trees, by the river. Brightcloud froze. _I have to help_, she thought. Abandoning her prey, she took the quickest path through the trees. Her blue eyes widened in shock. A brown cat with a matted pelt and torn ear lay there, barely moving. The warrior moved closer and saw that the cat had a broken leg and dislocated shoulder.

Tightening her teeth around his scruff, she dragged the brown cat back to camp, the prey lying forgotten in the woods. By now the tom had fallen unconscious. Brightcloud got back to the camp at sundown. The clearing buzzed with activity, and some of the cats just stared in shock as Brightcloud dragged the unfamiliar cat into camp.

"Don't just stare!" She ordered an apprentice, Nettlepaw. "Get Owlpelt!" Nettlepaw turned tail and scurried to the ShadowClan's medicine den. Soon Owlpelt came outside, herbs in his jaws. She crouched down by the tom and told Brightcloud to hold him down. He then jerked her patient's shoulder back into his original place. Telling Nettlepaw to fetch poppy seeds from her den, she then treated the cat's ear and gave him thyme for shock.

Finally leaning back, the medicine cat meowed, "It's in the paws of StarClan now."

Duskfall came forward, tail lashing. "StarClan? He doesn't even know about StarClan. What help would they give him?" He spat. Pointing his tail at Brightcloud, he continued. "Why did she bring this _rouge _here, even? She needs to stop. She needs to-" He was cut off by Blizzardstar.

"I'll decide what she needs to do, Duskfall," he meowed sternly, "After all, I am leader." His eyes gleamed with the hint of a challenge. When the warrior didn't reply, Blizzardstar turned to Brightcloud. "Unfortunately, Duskfall is right."

Brightcloud got to her paws indignantly. "He was going to _die!"_ She argued.

"Yes," the leader replied, "but did it consider to you that this cat might be a kittypet? Twolegs aren't going to be happy. They might follow his scent trail here. Right into the heart of ShadowClan!"

"Twolegs are too dumb to even follow a scent trail." She replied, "And he's not a kittypet. He has no collar, and this cat doesn't look like he's spoiled, does he? My best guess, he's a loner." Brightcloud pointed out.

There were several gasps. It was rude for a young warrior to openly show disrespect to a Clan leader. Blizzardstar narrowed his eyes before continuing. "Very well," he mewed, "but it's your responsibility to care for him, until he gets better. Then he will leave." He swept away before Brightcloud could reply, signaling that he was not going to negotiate.

Brightcloud sighed as the crowd of cats began to thin. She helped the now conscious tom to his paws, and encouraged him to lean against her as he made his way to the medicine den.

Inside the shadowy den, the tom made his way to a nest of moss. "What's your name, anyway?" She asked. It was best not to seem rude, as she would be caring for him.

"Bracken," the brown cat wheezed back. Without another word, he curled up and put his tail over his nose. His steady breathing told Brightcloud he was asleep.

"He'll be fine," Owlpelt meowed, which made Brightcloud jump. She hadn't seen him come in.

Brightcloud nodded her thanks to the medicine cat, and padded wearily from the den. Ignoring the stares from other cats, she slipped into sleep.

_(Time break)_

When Brightcloud woke, it was dawn. Many warriors had left on patrol, which left the camp emptier than it had been the previous night. The young warrior took a mouse from the fresh-kill pile and settled down to eat.

"Don't you have a _rouge _to look after?" Meowed Duskfall scathingly, raking Brightcloud with an unsettling gaze. He padded away confidently, joining a hunting patrol. _Who made you leader of everyone? _Thought Brightcloud. She got to her paws, took a shrew, and went to the medicine den to give it to Bracken.

She went in to find him wide awake. Owlpelt was encouraging him to eat some strengthening herbs, which he was eyeing suspiciously.

"I'm supposed to eat that?" He asked. Owlpelt nodded. Sighing, Bracken bent forward and licked up the herbs, recoiling slightly at the taste. Swiping his tongue around his jaws, he slowly to to his paws.

Owlpelt moved forward to support him. "Steady," she warned.

Bracken took a few stumbling steps, and fell down. _He'll be here a while, _thought Brightcloud, setting the prey in front of the tom.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"While you're here, Brightcloud," mewed Owlpelt, "you can change his nest. This moss is old."

_That's an apprentice job! _Brightcloud bit back a retort and scuffled around to clean away the old moss. Luckily, Rainpaw had brought in fresh moss earlier, so Brightcloud didn't have to go into the forest to get some.

"Thanks." Meowed Bracken again, a little friendler this time, after Brightcloud had finished.

"How did you get hurt?" Brightcloud asked, settling by the brown tom.

Bracken sighed. "I want to join you." He meowed plainly. "I tried saying that to my friends."

"Your _friends _did this to you?" Brightcloud exclaimed. "_Friends_?"

"Used to be friends." Bracken corrected himself quickly. "We are spaced out, but come together every once in a while to share news."

"Like a gathering?"

"If that's what a Gathering is, then yes. We'd sometimes share prey if we had plenty and some others couldn't find any. We lived well, and never suffered dramatically. Until last season. The coldest leaf-bare we'd ever experienced."

Brightcloud shivered, remembering that season. Even RiverClan had a hard time. ShadowClan lost Hawkfeather, an elder, and Mistfall, their deputy.

"I suggested getting help from you cats, and the other cats almost tore me apart. They _did _tear me apart when I told them I would join you." Bracken finished. "I would have died if you hadn't helped me."

Brightcloud closed her eyes and nodded, repicturing Bracken as a huddled shape on the grass.

_(Another time break) _

Slowly padding into camp, Brightcloud closed her eyes and automatically headed for the warrior den. Then she remembered her punishment and went to the medicine den, seeing Bracken in his nest, curled up but wide awake.

"Do you need anything?" She asked. Bracken raised his head.

"What did Blizzardstar say?"

Brightcloud winced as she remembered she forgot to ask her leader if Bracken could join the Clan.

"I forgot." She admitted.

Bracken nodded. "That's okay," he meowed slowly, "you can ask him tomorrow. Hey," he brightened up, "Owlpelt says I should be out of here by the next quarter moon."

"That's great news." Mewed Brightcloud.

Sleepiness suddenly over took her as she asked Bracken awkwardly. "Could- Could I sleep with you tonight."

The brown tom looked up at here. "Of course," he replied warmly, moving to make space for her. Brightcloud pushed herself against his warm fur, and closed her eyes.

_(Time break) _

It has been a quarter moon since Bracken had arrived at camp, and now he was as healthy as ever. Brightcloud was teaching him how to hunt and fight like a ShadowClan warrior. He was learning quickly, and now even joined patrols, but some of Brightcloud's Clanmates, primarily Duskfall, were suspicious of the loner.

Brightcloud was excitedly watching Blizzardstar climb the Hightree. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come here to hear my words."

The cats slowly gathered as Blizzardstar meowed, the camp ringing with his words. "I'm sure you all know about the loner, Bracken, who Brightcloud brought to camp a quarter-moon ago." He let his gaze sweep the camp, catching Brightcloud's eyes.

"He has now fully healed and has been trained to act as a warrior and live by the warrior code. Then, before the eyes of StarClan, I will give this cat his warrior's name." Brightcloud could not hear the indignant protest coming up from several cats, full of pride for Bracken.

"I, Blizzardstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." He looked down on the loner, his eyes glinting in the light. "Bracken, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Bracken bowed his head and then looked up confidently. "I do." He replied.

Blizzardstar continued, "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Bracken, from this moment you will be known as Brackenlight. StarClan honors your intelligence and loyaty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." He rested his muzzle on top of Brackenlight's head, as the new warrior licked his leader's shoulder.

When he stepped back, the Clan cheered for the new warrior. "Brackenlight! Brackenlight!"

Brightcloud yowled his new name to the sky and stepped forward, twining her tail with Brackenlight's.

**It's pretty obvious, but Brightcloud and Brackenlight become mates. Yay! **


End file.
